Explosion apparatus and method for cereal grains and the like



2 Sheets-Shet l M. R. WARREN Filed Dec. 30, 1938- l I i I l I I III I I I EXPLOSION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CEREAL GRAINS AND THE LIKE Nov.

Nov. 4, 1941. M. R. WARREN EXPLOSION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CEREAL GRAINS' AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1938 Patented Nov. 4, 1941 STATE EXPLOSION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CEREAL GRAINS AND THE LIKE Merb R. Warren, Cedar Rapidalowa, assignor to The Quaker Oats Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 30, 1938, Serial No. 248,532

12 Claims.

explode grains or kernels by means of a so-called gun having areleasable closure device at one end thereof. In such apparatus the material is I releasably sealed in the gun, steam is injected under pressure at the end of the gun opposite the closure device, and, after the material has.

been subjected for the desired time to predetermined temperatures and pressures-it is suddenly released from the superatmospheric pressure by' being shot from the gun into a suitable receptacle. The steam heat'treatment may be supplemented by heating the side walls of the gun from the outside by means'of a steam jacket. Guns such asher'etofore commonly used are more or less unsatisfactory because the finished exploded product often contains lumps and black kernels of grains, particularly when wheat or rice is used. dueto the variation in the treatment accorded different portions of the material.

Since in all guns heretofore used there is no introduces a marked overheating of those portions of grain which are nearest the steam inlet.

In these guns the steam may be introduced at the 'rear'of the chamber either through a simple opening, or through a perforated plate subtending the entire cross sectional area of the rear end of the gun, but in either case the material to be treated-is in direct contact with the incoming steam, and the baffling effect of the granular material is depended upon to disperse the feed as uniformly as possible; Even though the steam is introduced through a perforated plate, it must travel a comparativelylong distance before it comes in contact'with the product near the front end of the gun.

Apparatus embodying the present invention overcomes, or substantially reduces, these defects, inasmuch as means are provided for effecting the uniform distribution of steam along the longitudinal axis and for introducing the steam either at anintermediate point or at the provided for thoroughly and, rapidly agitating the material while it is being processed.

The-advantages of my invention are particularly noticeable in the treatment of products positivemethod of uniform agitation, some of the material may remain'in prolongedcontact with the hot walls of the gun and other portions may rarely, if ever, come into contact with the walls. This is particularly true in those guns which are not rotated during the heating period, but, even if the ordinary guns are rotated, a central core of material tends to stay in the center of the barrel and'a considerable amount of the remainder of the material stays in contact with the walls of the gun barrel during a large part of the treating time and may be burned, scorched, or overheated. The temperature of the above mentioned central core of the material is lower than that of the grains adjacent to the wall of the barrel and a uniform product cannot be obtained. In those cases where external heat is used, a condensation of steam may take place in the central core of the material which induces the forming of wet lumps of material within the core.

In addition to the faults already mentioned, the introduction of steam into the end of the with relatively high fat content. such as .oats

. and soya beans. In the treatment of such materials in the ordinary type of gun, a, partial de-= composition of the fat content may occur if the grains remain in contact with the hot inner surface of the chamber Wall for an excessive period of time." This is because the temperature of the wall of the gun may be considerably higher than that prevailing within the chamber of the gun.

Thesame result may occur if any single portion provide a means and method by which'cereal gun opposite from the releasable closure means grains or kernels having a relatively, high fat content may be treated without danger of material decomposition of the fat content, thereby to produce a uniform exploded product which may be kept for, an indefinite period of time without becoming rancid.

A further object of myinvention is to provide a gun from which all of the finished product is In addition to this, an-important feature of this invention is found-in that simple and inexpensive, yet highly efiicient, means'are completely expelled from the pressure chamber when the pressure is suddenly released. 7

In practicing this invention, the material, such as a mass of grains or kernels, either whole or cracked, is placed in the gun, which is then closed, and steam or other suitable fluid under pressure is admitted to the gun. Means are provided for thoroughly and uniformly agitating or mixing the material, for diffusing or distributing uniformly the fluid throughout the material, and for driving the air from the gun. This eliminates concentrated application of the fluid or steam to any portion of the mass of grains or kernels undergoing treatment. It is desirable that all of the air be removed from the gun. to prevent the formation of air pockets which are detrimental to the successful uniform treatment of all of the material. Good results may be obtained by using as a fluid medium superheated steam at a relatively high pressure and temperature. The length of time of treating, the degree of superheat, if any, of the steam and the pressure depend upon the moisture content of the material and can readily be determined by a few tests under varying conditions.

Another object of this invention is toprovide means within a rotatable gun, with or without means for applying external heat, whereby a steam may be introduced at varying points along the longitudinal axis and remote from the closed end of the gun. The steam may be saturated or superheated.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a gun having means associated.

therewith for uniformly mixing and distributing the material so that steam, or other fluid,.may uniformly be applied to all of the grains or kernels of the material being processed and so that all of the material is uniformly subjected to a desired temperature.

A further object is the provision of an explosion gun in which the stirring means does not interfere with the process of loading the gun with the material to be treated or with the discharge of the treated material from the gun.

, Further objects will be apparent from the specification and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic-sectional view of one form of apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partially in section,

of the steam inlet pipe and baiiie support shown in Fig. 1, a portion being broken away for the purposes of illustration:

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view of the baiiie means shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 5 to 11, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustrating the stirring action obtained in apparatus embodying my invention, the various figbe in the form of a comparatively small-diameter elongated barrel closed at one end and rovided at' the opposite end with the usual releasable head or door 2. This door may be hinged, latched, or

otherwise secured so that it may be quickly released to relieve the pressure, thereby to shoot the material, after being processed, from the gun in the usual manner. This head of the gun may be constructed in any suitable fashion, for in- 5 stance, as shown in United States Patent No.

1,878,782 to 0. C. Kim. The closed end of the gun is provided with a threaded opening in which is secured an elongated steam pipe 3 having athreaded portion 4 whereby it may readily be mounted in the end of the gun. As shown the pipe 3 extends a sufilcient distance outside the gun to provide a suitable hearing about which to rotate the gun, if desired, and is provided with a flange 5 at its outer end, which may form a part of a coupling. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, steam may be admitted through the pipe 3 to the interior of the gun, while at the same time the gun and the pipe. the latter being securely mounted in the gun, may be rotated.

The portion of. the pipe 3 that extends within the gun I is formed to provide a reduced portion 6 which terminates adjacent the center of the barrel and is provided with a plurality of perforations 1 adjacent its inner end. Thus when steam orother fluid is supplied to the pipe 3 a plurality of jets are delivered through the pipe to a the interior of the barrel or sun. These perforations, being evenly distributed around the pipe adjacent the inner end thereof or substantially in the center of the'gun chamber, provide means for a very uniform steaming of the material in the gun. The innermost end of the pipe 3 is.preferably closed, as shown, by .means of a plug 8.

l-welded therein, and the pipe is threaded at its innermost end to receive a coupling member'il, for supporting a bafile plate in to which it is secured.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the baflle plate l0 preferably comprises a sheet metal plate of thin material and is provided with an elongated slot II at one end, which slot is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the reduced portion ,5 of the pipe 3 so that the battle plate may extend over the portion 6 of the pipe 3 in the axial plane of the pipe. The coupling member 9 is secured in the closed end of the slot II, as shown, and may be welded or otherwise secured to the baflle plate iii. A metal ring to is provided adjacent the open end of the slot II and is also secured to the baille plate I0, as shown. This ring 8a has an inner diameter of such a size as to provide a sliding fit on the reducedportion B of the pipe, so that when the baffle plate is assembled on the pipe 3, as shown, and the coupling member 9 threaded onto the end of the pipe, the baille plate I!) will be firmly supported on the pipe in axial relation thereto and to the barrel. The baiile will therefore be held in fixed relation to the barrel for rotation therewith.

) the internal diameter of the barrel, and its length is somewhat shorter than that of the barrel. It has been found in practice that in r the average size guns, having a chamber thirty inches long and six inches in diameter, substantially one inchclearance all around between the baflie i0 and the inner wall of the barrel produces satisfactory results. Also, in one embodiment of the invention the steam tube or pipe 3 was made from a standard one-inch pipe, and the holes I were about five sixty-fourths of an inch in diameter.

number and were located about one inch from the end of the pipe 3, which extended into the barrel for a distance of approximately seventeen The width of the baille is somewhat less than These holes were twenty ininches, thus bringing the holes I near the longitudinal, as well as the axial, center of the barrel of the gun. While, with a gun embodying the invention and approximately the dimensions recited above, excellent results have been obtained whereby burnt and unexploded kernels were substantially eliminated, particularly when treating wheat or rice, it is to be understood .that the invention is not to be limited to such dimensions or'proportipns of the parts Also, it has been found that the construction heretoforedescribed materially reduces the" amount of screenings which otherwise would have to be removed from the finished product.

The pipe 3 is preferably an ordinary .heavy iron pipe, the portion 6 of which has been. turned down to the proper dimensions, and it has been found that when iron pipe is used it may be corroded or eaten completely off adjacent to the point where it enters the chamber of the gun.

v This is probably due to electrolytic action or acids formed by the cooking of the grain in the operation of the baflie I is such as to provide an open space I 0a beneath the baflie plate 10 at a predetermined point during each revolution.

' Similarly as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, spaces free of grain or kernels are formed adjacent the bafile at additional points during each revolution. The steam, therefore, is permitted to pass along the baffle longitudinally of the barrel, particularly on the under side of the baflie, and is diffused throughout the entire length of the barrel and evenly distributed through the mass of material. No air pockets are formed, and the steam content. In this embodiment of my invention fore, in the embodiment disclosed the pipe is turned to-a smaller diameter I2 for a short distance, and the space is then filled with a layer of bronze l3. This bronze layer is preferably about one-sixteenth of an inch thick and may be applied by casting the bronze in the turned down portion of the pipe, or may be applied in any other suitable manner. In the ordinary size gun in common use this layer of bronze is preferably:

' 1 distributed around the pipe portion 5 adjacent the inner end thereof. The steam is thereby effectively diffused throughout the entire mass of material from the center outwardly.

As the steam is supplied tothe pipe 3 the gun is rotated, and the baffle plate I!) fixed on the axis thereof causes the grains or kernels to be mixed and stirred in such a manner that they are constantly being moved from the center of the mass toward the wall of the barrel and returned to the center. By this means the mass is stirred from the center outwardly and. all of the kernels remain in contact with the wall for a large pipe or tube 14 extends a desired distance into ,the gun Ma from the closed end, as illustrated, and supports a pair of oppositely disposed sheet metal vanes or fins l5 secured thereto by -welding or otherwise. These, fins 15 forma bafiie substantially identical with the baffle plate 10 previously described. When the gun is revolved, the fins l5 likewise revolve, causing complete agitation of the material undergoing treatment. I

As shown, a small steam pipe l6 extends through the pipe l4 and terminates a short distance from the front end of the gun, the front end of this pipe being open to permit the escape of steam directly into the frontend of the gun. and the large'pi'pe l4 being closed at its 'inner end and sealed to the small pipelii. Adjacent the rear of the gun is secured a transverse partition ll' provided with a large number of small perforations or slots l8 that-are preferably substantially uniformly distributed over the parti- -tion. This partition provides a steam chamber .l9, and a plurality of perforations!!! are-provided in the large pipe H for establishingcommunication between the chamber is and the interiorof the pipe I l. 1

substantially the same length oftime, but none of the kernels remains in contact with the wall 'long enough to cause scorching. This. together with the effective diffusion of steam throughout the mass, 'materially reduces the amount of screenings in the finished exploded product and prevents rancidity.

In the gun embodying the present invention -the steam is preferably injected at the center of the gun and at the axis thereof, and when the gun and baffle plate are revolved an efiicient stirring action of the, grain is"produced,-such as shown'in Figs. 5 to 11. As there shown the grain is thoroughly mixed, and is so moved durcooking, or steaming of the kernels occurs. As

shown particularly in Figs. 5, '6; 10, and 11, the

The gun I 4a is threadably mounted at its closed endon a hollow shaft 2| which is rotatably supported in a suitable bearing 22 providedwith suitable packing 23 andpacking nuts 24 to seal. the hollow shaft 2| while permitting rotation of the shaft and the gun with respect to the bearing steam outlet '29 regulated by a valve 30. The

passageway extending from the'fitting 26 to, the pipe ll within the gun is sumciently large to accommodate the steam pipe I 6 and to provide sufficient clearance therearound for steam to escape escape passageway 29.

In this construction, during processing of the material; steam is admitted through the small pipe l6 and enters the material-adjacent the forward end of the gun. The steam pressure developed within the gun sweeps the air toward the.

back of the gun through the openings H3 in the partition H, the chamber l9, and through the openings 20 into the pipe 14. The air then passes through the hollow shaft 2| around the steam pipe back to the fitting 26 and through the outlet 29 and valve 30. It is desirable, after the gun has been loaded and closed, to permit the steam to flow through the gun for a short period in order to sweep out substantially all of the air contained therein. The valve 30 may then .be closed so that the pressure will build up .to the desired extent.

In using the ordinary pufling gun, when the pressure therein is suddenly released, the steam escapes from the cells of the kernels or grains with suificient vigor to cause disruption of the cell walls and so-called exploding of the material. A large portion of the natural moisture content in the kernels thereupon flashes into vapor, resulting in partial dehydration of the kernel. The less suddenly the pressure is released, the less suddenly the steam tends to escape from the cells of the kernel. In ordinary pufiing guns the kernels remote from the open end of the gun must travel the entire length of the treating chamber before they reach the atmosphere. Therefore,

they normally are subjected to less sudden pressure reduction than those kernels adjacent the open end of the gun. In the embodiment just described the reduction of pressure within the' entire treating zone of the chamber is in a degree retarded by the expansion of the steam stored in the chamber l9, which expands into the treating zone as the pressure therein tends to diminish. While the actual period of time required for complete reduction of pressu'remay be prolonged only a fraction of a second by this secondary steam supply in the chamber Is, it assists materially, however, in obtaining uniform exploding of the entire mass of material. Also, as this secondary steam supply rushes towards the open end of the gun, it carries with it any kernels that may tend to remain in the treating chamber, and

therefore all of the material is substantially instantaneously discharged from the gun.

It will, of course, be understood that a partition similar to the partition I! may be used in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, if desired, or the steam inlet tube similar to that shown in Fig. 1, may be used in place of that shown in Fig. 12.

Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims. 4

Having thus described this invention, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: v

1. The method of exploding cereals which comprises injecting steam under pressure into a central portion of a confined body of grains, causing said steam to be diffused outwardly from the central portion of said body of grains, andsuddenly releasing the pressure whereby all the cereals are substantially uniformly exploded.

2. The method or explbding cereals which comprises injecting steam under pressure into a central portion of a confined body of grains in a plurality of small streams, the quantity, quality and time of application of the steam being such as to establish a high. pressure throughout said confined, body, and then suddenly releasing said pressure.

3. The method of exploding cereals which comprises injecting steam under pressure into a central portion of a confined body of grains to provide a high pressure throughout said body, rotating the body while the cereals are being processed by said steam pressure, and then suddenly releasing the pressure.

4. The method of exploding cereals which comprises subjecting a confined body of grains to the action of high pressure steam throughout said body while simultaneously rotating said body and simultaneously stirring said body of grains from the center outwardly, and then suddenly releasing the pressure.

5. The method of exploding cereals which comprises injecting high pressure steam into a central portion of a confined body of grains in a plurality of small streams to provide a uniform diffusion of steam throughout said body and to develop a superatmospheric pressure throughout said body, rotating said body while the grains are subjected to said steam pressure, simultaneously stirring said body of grains from the center outwardly to form central spaces in said body through which said steam difiuses longitudinally of said body,

and then suddenly releasing the pressure.

6. A gun for exploding material which comprises a rotatable barrel adapted to withstand internal pressure, said barrel having a bafiie therein whose edges are spaced from the side and end walls of the chamber formed by said barrel, means fixedly mounting said bafile for rotation with said barrel, said baiile being disposed in a longitudinal axial plane of the gun, and means for injecting steam into the approximate center of the chamber in the gun.

7. A rotatable gun for exploding material which comprises a barrel adapted to withstand internal pressure, said barrel having a closed end and an open end, releasablemeans for sealing said open end, a thin longitudinal partition disposed within said barrel substantially coincident with the axis of rotation, said partition terminating short of the opposed walls of said barrel to provide a comparatively narrow space therebetween, and means to inject steam into said barrel at the axis of said barrel remote from the closed end thereof.

8. A rotatable gun for exploding material which comprises an elongated tubular member forming a pressure chamber, a steam pipe having a plurality of small perforations for admitting steam under pressure to the approximate center of said chamber, a baiile plate substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said gun and having its outer edges terminating short ofv the inner walls of said chamber to insure the flowin of the grains through the space between said baflle and the side walls when said gun and bafile are simultaneously rotated.

9. A gun for exploding material which comprises an elongated cylindrical pressure chamber closed at one end,.releasable means for sealing the open end, an axial steam conduit supported in the closed end of said chamber and terminating adjacent the open end for supplying steam to said chamber at a point remote from'said closed end, and a perforated partition adjacent the closed end and subtcnding substantially the whole crosssectional area of said chamber thereby dividing said pressure chamber into a large treating subchamber to hold the material to be treated and a reserve subchamber of substantial volume to hold a. reserve supply of steam upon diffusion of steam through said material and said partition from said remote point, whereby on opening said sealing means the expansion of the steam contained in the reserve subchamber assists in the expulsion of all of the grains from the treating chamber.

- a large treating subchamber to hold the material to be treated and a reserve subchamber of substantial volume to hold fluid under pressure whereby on opening said sealing means the'ex pansion of said fluid in said reserve chamber to atmospheric pressure will assist in the expulsion of all of the material from said chamber, an axial fluid outlet pipe extending inwardly through said partition from the closed end of said gun into said treating subchamber, a small-diameter fluid inlet pipe terminating adjacent the open end of said gun and providing a fluid chamber in said first pipe, said fluid chamber being perforated for communication with said reserve chamber, an outlet from said fluid chamber to the atmosphere, and a partition in said treating chamber and supported on said outlet pipe in a plane substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said chamber stirring the material in said treating subchamber upon rotation of said pressure chamher, said partition terminating short of the walls thereof to provide restricted passageways therebetween for the material being processed during said rotation. e

11. In a method of exploding cereals which comprises subjecting the body of grains to treating temperatures and pressures and then suddenly releasing the pressure, the step of injecting steam under pressure into the interior of said body at substantially the center thereof.

. said chamber through said perforations and said 12. A rotatable gun for exploding materials comprising an elongated tubular member forming a pressure chamber closed at one end, releasable means for sealing the open end of said chamber, an axial outlet pipe extending through said closed end of said chamber, an axial steam conduit within said outlet pipe extending beyond the inner end thereof to supplysteam under pressure to saidv chamber at a point remote from said closed end, the inner end of said outlet pipe being sealed and a portion of said outlet pipe adjacent the closed end of said chamber being perforated to connect the annular space between said outlet pipe and said steam conduit with said pressure chamber, a baflle plate supported on said outlet pipe in a plane substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said gun, said baffle plate having its outer edges spaced from the inner walls of said pressure chamber to permit material in said chamber to flow through the space between-said edges and said Walls when said gun and baflle plate are simultaneously rotated, and valve means movable between open and closed positions for selectively connecting the outer end of said outlet pipe to atmosphere,

whereby the introduction of steam into said pressure chamber through said steam conduit sweeps the air initially contained in said chamber from annular space to atmosphere and for closing said outer end of said outlet pipe to seal said gun against the escape of steam after said air has been swept from said chamber.

MERB R. WARREN. 

